BICYCLE PROJECT
Mobility of learners
Unlocking education for rural children in Cambodia, Kamboo Project’s bicycle program facilitates safe and timely access to schooling by providing bicycles. Since 2019, over 300 students in the Prasat Bakong have received bikes, empowering them to pursue their academic journey without impediments. By closely monitoring progress and collaborating with community stakeholders, our initiative focuses on marginalized children, ensuring that education becomes accessible and transformative for everyone.
Background:
What do bicycles have to do with school education?
A lot.
Getting to school in Cambodia is often difficult. Public transportation is not available everywhere, especially not outside the cities. It is not uncommon for the route to determine how many days a child can come to school – if they can make it to school at all!
In this context, the bicycle emerges as a vital and efficient resource for Cambodian children. By pedaling to and from school, children not only conserve energy but also gain additional time for learning and exploration. In comparison to walking, bicycles offer a safer and swifter mode of commuting across the countryside. Children are more likely to get to school on time – and less likely to drop out – when they have a reliable means of transportation like a bike.
But owning and maintaining a bicycle is a luxury for most families with children, especially in rural areas where the nearest elementary school is usually miles away.
Enter Kamboo Project. Our mission is to tackle this obstacle head-on, ensuring that every Cambodian school child has a bicycle, empowering them to safely reach school and pursue their education without barriers. We do this by collaborating with 52 primary educational institutions within the Prasat Bakong District, home to some of the poorest communities in the country.
Impact Story
In a village nestled among rolling hills, Phally stands out—a fortunate student who received a precious gift: a bicycle from the Kamboo Project Organization. The project leaders, with keen eyes and compassionate hearts, recognized the genuine need for this transformative tool. It wasn’t just a bike; it was a lifeline to education.
Phally’s bicycle became her steadfast companion, not merely a mode of transport but a trusted friend. Each morning, as the sun painted the horizon, she pedaled to school. The rhythmic creak of wheels echoed her determination, and the wind whispered encouragement. Her family watched with pride as she rode past rice paddies and waving neighbors, her school bag secured on the rear rack.
In 2023, joy radiated from her eyes when she received her bicycle. Now, stepping into grade 7, the road stretches longer, winding through lush green fields. Her friend’s gleaming copper bike inspired her—a dream of a new companion matching her aspirations.
And then, like a sunflower turning toward the sun, her wish came true. The prospect of a shiny, new bicycle filled her heart with immense joy. But this story isn’t hers alone.
My sister and I now pedal to school too, our bicycles gifts from the same benevolent hands. Confidence blooms as we join the morning parade of students, wheels spinning in harmony. These bicycles are more than metal and rubber; they are vessels of hope, bridges to knowledge, conduits of change.’
Implementation and Monitoring
Executing change: distributing bicycles and ensuring progress
Since the project’s launch in 2019, Kamboo Project has provided bikes and repair training to over 300 students in the Prasat Bakong District. This effort equates to equipping an entire mid-sized primary school in the region.
Our representatives have forged close collaborations with key stakeholders, including the Head of the Education Department, village and community leaders, and other officials, over the course of many years. Together, we select eligible students who will benefit from receiving a bicycle. Each child is visited and assessed by our team to ensure that they are the appropriate beneficiary and to guarantee that our bicycles make a strong contribution to support and motivate them to continue their higher education, as well as to actively participate in shaping the future of Cambodia.
Our selection criteria for apprentices
- 1. Children with disabilities (physical impairment)
- 2. Children who live more than 4 km away from the school
- 3.Poor children (parents are holders of an IDPoor Equity Card)
- 4. Children living under difficult circumstances (violent domestic family, parental divorce, children separated from one parent due to work restrictions).
- 5. Children who are about to drop out of school and need help with transportation
Monitoring and evaluation
Monitoring and evaluation are integrated into the program. All students who have received a bike since 2019 are monitored by project staff and all improvements are recorded.
Budget
| Posts | Quantity | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Bike | 1 | $52.00 |
| Bike lock | 1 | $1.50 |
| Investment | $53.50 |
